Unnikrishnan Potti remanded to police custody in Sabarimala gold theft case

Kochi: In a major development in the Sabarimala gold theft case, the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, was remanded to police custody on Friday. He will be placed under police custody till October 30.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Kerala High Court arrested Potti on Friday morning.

Potti's arrest pertains to the theft of gold plating from the sanctum's wooden panels and the Dwarapalaka (guardian idol) sculptures at Sabarimala temple. The action comes on the fifth day of the court-monitored SIT probe.

He underwent a medical examination at Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital late Thursday night. He was taken from the Thiruvananthapuram Crime Branch office and later produced before the Ranni (Pathanamthitta) First Class Judicial Magistrate Court.

The SIT is currently investigating two cases, one concerning the missing gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and another related to the loss of gold from the Sreekovil door frames.

SIT officials are also looking into the involvement of Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) members and officials in the handing over of gold-clad copper plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames to Potti for electroplating in 2019.

Earlier, the TDB Vigilance Wing had questioned Potti for two days and recorded his statement during its preliminary inquiry.